Bake

Vanilla Syrup (+ Mixed Berry Syrup & Sweet Cream Syrup Variations)

July 29, 2016
4
4 Ratings
Photo by Ken Carlson
  • Makes 1 cup
Author Notes

Follow this recipe for basic vanilla syrup for soaking the cakes in my book, Cake Magic!: Mix & Match Your Way to 100 Amazing Combinations. To make the Mixed Berry Syrup, you'll add seedless jams and liqueur. To make Sweet Cream Syrup, you'll use cream in place of water. Otherwise, all three recipes follow the same formula. —Caroline Wright

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Ingredients
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup water (or, for Sweet Cream Syrup, 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream)
  • 1 tablespoon seedless raspberry jam (for the Mixed Berry Syrup)
  • 1 tablespoon seedless strawberry jam (for the Mixed Berry Syrup)
  • 1 pinch salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1 tablespoon cherry liqueur or Kirsch (optional but recommended)
Directions
  1. Combine the sugar, water, and salt in a small saucepan. For the sweet cream syrup: Use 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream in place of water. For the mixed berry syrup: Stir in 1 tablespoon seedless raspberry jam and 1 tablespoon seedless strawberry jam.
  2. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, and boil for about 5 minutes. Stir to dissolve the sugar, then stir in the vanilla and remove from the heat. For the mixed berry syrup, stir in the liqueur, if using, and cover the pot. Set aside to steep for at least 2 hours, then strain the syrup.
  3. For the other syrups, set aside to cool. Use the syrup warm or let it stand, covered, until it reaches room temperature.
  4. Syrups will keep, in an airtight container in the refrigerator, for up to 1 week. Reheat in a small saucepan over low heat before using.

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Before her diagnosis, Caroline wrote a book on cakes called Cake Magic!. She started developing a birthday cake using her gluten-free mix found in that book. Check out other recipes she’s developing for her new life—and the stories behind them—on her blog, The Wright Recipes. Her next book, Soup Club, is a collection of recipes she made for her underground soup club of vegan and grain-free soups she delivers every week to friends throughout Seattle's rainy winter.

1 Review

Regine March 6, 2018
Do you use entire recipe to soak your vanilla cake recipe, or do you only use a portion of the syrup?